IMPORTANT NOTICE: In July 2023, the Government of Paraguay implemented a new regulation which requires people of most nationalities to obtain a visa at a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate (outside of Paraguay) before applying for residency in Paraguay. If you are one of these nationalities, you cannot start the residency process without having first obtained a visa - which means if you travel to Paraguay without one, whilst you may be able to enter the country without a visa, you will have to leave to go get a visa and come back again to start the residency process.
Please note that there is a difference between "needing a visa to enter Paraguay generally" and "needing a visa to obtain residency in Paraguay". This article is solely relating to the visa requirements for obtaining residency, it does not relate to general tourism, business trips, etc.
In this article, you will find all sorts of information about the visa requirements for resideny in Paraguay, including:
How to enter Paraguay: The three categories of countries
There are three broad categories of visa requirements for foreigners who want to enter Paraguay to obtain residency:
(1) Citizens of countries which do not require a visa in advance
If you are from one of these countries, you can just turn up in Paraguay. These countries are all South American countries, and five
European countries: Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, and
Liechtenstein. The only thing you need to do is make sure your passport is stamped when you enter Paraguay.
(2) Citizens of countries which do require a visa in advance, which can be easily obtained from any Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate
If you are from one of these countries, before you travel to Paraguay, you will need to visit a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate in a different country - which could be your home country, or one of Paraguay's neighbouring countries such as Argentina or Brazil, or any other country which has a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate - and will probably need to pay a relatively small fee (US$65 for single entry, and US$100 for multiple entry, usually), and wait for a few days to receive it. This is something you will need to do yourself, we are not visa agents and cannot help with this. Most countries are in this category.
(3) Citizens of countries which require special permission from the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get a visa
If you are from one of these countries, it might be very difficult for you to obtain a visa to enter Paraguay, maybe even impossible - or, it might just take a little bit longer. This is something you will need to sort out yourself, we are not visa agents and cannot help you with this - you will need to contact a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate, and ask them.
How visa requirements affect residency applications
It is very simple - if your nationality is one of those which needs to obtain a visa in advance, then you cannot start the residency process without having this. So it's important to check, and get it done if needed.
The other requirement, which is the same for everyone, is that you entered the country legally, and can prove it (with a stamp in your passport). It does get checked, by the Paraguayan government, as part of the residency process - so there is no point in entering the country illegally, or using a fake passport stamp etc.
Even for citizens of countries which require special permission from the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to enter the country, the process for obtaining residency is the same as everyone else. We cannot get you a visa - you have to do this yourself - but if you can get into the country legally, we can get you residency here.
General passport requirements for everyone entering Paraguay
Your passport, from whatever country, needs to have at least six months validity on the date you enter Paraguay. So check the expiry date of your current passport, and consider renewing it to get a brand new passport with several years' validity before you leave your home country.
There is no requirement to have a certain number of blank pages remaining in your passport, but in the interests of common sense, make sure you have at least a few blank pages left, or consider renewing your passport and getting a brand new one with loads of blank pages before you leave your home country.
All the information on this page relates to "ordinary" passports, i.e. not diplomatic, or "special" passports. If you have anything other than a normal passport, you should check with the issuer of that passport if you are able to use it to obtain residency in another country before using it to enter Paraguay - or better still, just use your "ordinary" passport.
Whether you are entering Paraguay with a pre-arranged visa, or no visa at all, there will be a maximum stay limit (which can vary, depending on your country and/or the visa type issued). Be sure to start your residency process before your 30/60/90/180 days are up, otherwise you will be viewed as having "overstayed" your visa. As soon as your official residency process has started - i.e. your document preparation is fully complete, translated, and we have got you into the system - you don't need to worry about timelines any more, because you're now on a different legal status (residency applicant). Our advice: get started as soon as you can after you enter Paraguay.
Stay up-to-date with any additional general requirements for entering Paraguay - some of them will depend on where you are travelling from - such as whether or not you need a Yellow Fever vaccination, or any other requirements. Additional requirements can (and do) change fairly regularly, and we won't be keeping track of all of them on this website.
Additional notes for people with dual or multiple nationalities
(a) If you have multiple nationalities/passports, you can enter Paraguay using whichever passport you prefer. Please note that when applying for residency in Paraguay, you must use the passport that you entered the country with. This means that the passport you use to enter must match the other documentation you intend to use.
Example: If you are a citizen of both the USA and the UK, you don't need to get a Police Record done from both countries, but you do need it from one of them. Do not attempt to use a UK Police Record, if entering on a USA passport (and vice versa). Make sure everything matches up, and you will not have any problems.
(b) If you are a national of two countries in different visa-requirement categories, don't worry about it - just use the one you prefer, which is probably going to be whichever one is easiest for you. The only time you should choose the more difficult one, is if you need or want to use other documentation issued by the "other" country (such as Birth Certificate, Police Record etc).
Full lists of countries
Below are the lists of all countries in each category, listed alphabetically, using the English language name for the country. Use CTRL+F to search for your own nationality to discover which visa-requirement group you are in.
Important note: We cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information, as things sometimes change. If you are in any doubt, contact any Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate to check if you need a visa to enter Paraguay, or not.
Immediately below are quick links to each section:
Nationalities which do not need a visa to get residency in Paraguay
No pre-planning is needed, you don't need to visit a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate, and a visa is not needed in advance. Just come to Paraguay, and make sure your passport gets stamped!
Argentina
Belgium
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Ecuador
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Peru
Switzerland
Uruguay
Venezuela
Nationalities which do need a visa to get residency in Paraguay
Please note: If youor country is on this list, you MUST obtain a visa for Paraguay before you arrive, to get residency. Many countries here are allowed to enter Paraguay without a visa for other purposes (tourism, business, etc), but to get residency, all of the below nationalities must obtain a visa from outside the country before applying for residency. The requirements and processes for obtaining a visa for
Paraguay can vary, depending on your nationality, circumstances, and
the rules in place at the time you are applying for a visa. You should
contact any Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate to check what you need to
do.
Albania
Andorra
Antigua & Barbuda
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Bhutan
Bosnia & Herzegovina
British Overseas Citizens
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Canada
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czechia
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Estonia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Kazakhstan
Kiribati
Korea (South)
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
Maldives
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Monaco
Montenegro
Myanmar
Nauru
Nepal
New Zealand
Nicaragua
North Macedonia
Norway
Oman
Palau
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar (VOA, $100)
Romania
Russia
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent & The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
Spain
Sweden
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Thailand
Timor-Leste
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Nationalities which require special permission to enter Paraguay
Please note: This "special authorisation" needs to come from the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Relations, and is outside of the normal visa issuing protocols. This affects ordinary visits to Paraguay as well as residency applications. If you are from one of these countries, contact your nearest Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate to ask them what you can do - we don't know, and cannot help you obtain this special authorisation.
Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central Africa Republic
Chad
China
Comoros
Congo
Djibouti
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Eswatini/Swaziland
Ethiopia
Gabon
Gambia
Ghana
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
India
Iran
Iraq
Ivory Coast
Jordan
Kenya
Kuwait
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Mauritius
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Palestine
Pakistan
Rwanda
Saint Helena
Sao Tome & Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Syria
Tanzania
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Vietnam
Western Sahara
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
How and where to get a visa for Paraguay, if you need one
You can go to any Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate that issues visas - just note that in some countries, there are multiple locations, and not all of them issue visas. For example, in Buenos Aires, there is one Paraguayan Embassy, and several Consulates (the one you need is the "Consulado General Republica del Paraguay" on Calle Viamonte, near the magnificent Museo del Agua (Water Museum) - if you go to some of the others, you will be wasting your time).
If there is a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate in your home country, that will often be the most logical one to visit for most people. For countries which do not have a Paraguayan Embassy or Consulate, affairs for that country will often be overseen by an Embassy in a different country - which might not be particularly close, or easy, or cheap, to get to. But you don't have to visit that one - you can visit any of them, in any country.
If you are from a country which needs a visa to enter Paraguay, it's worth checking the entry requirements for you to enter Argentina or Brazil, because in many cases you either don't need a visa to enter those countries, or at least have an Argentinian or Brazilian Embassy in your home country, which you can get a visa from to enter either Argentina or Brazil. The Paraguayan Embassies and Consulates in both of these neighbouring countries are usually happy to issue visas for Paraguay for anyone, even if you are only in these countries as a tourist.
Ultimately, you should look up the locations of Paraguayan Embassies and Consulates, decide which one would be easiest for you to visit, and then contact them to check what you need to do.
Visas for Paraguay usually cost USD 65 for a single entry visa, and USD $100 for a multiple entry visa. If you will be staying in Paraguay until your residency process is finished, you only need the single entry one. If you might want or need to leave the country for any reason before your residency permit is issued (which is just a few weeks), get the multiple entry one just in case.
Useful information and advice for when you go through passport control in Paraguay
Remember that unless you are already fluent in Spanish or Guarani, it is very easy for things to be miscommunicated - or misunderstood - when talking to an immigration official who only speaks Spanish and Guarani. Therefore, keep it simple.
When you first enter Paraguay, you will likely be entering on a tourist visa, which does not give you the right to live here, or work here. You only get the right to live and work here after you have started the residency process - which effectively changes your immigration status - so even if your intention is to live and work here in the relatively near future, we strongly suggest not attempting to talk about your future plans, just stick with your current plans on your tourist visa, i.e. tourism.
It is perfectly sufficient to tell the immigration official(s) you meet that you have heard that Paraguay is a wonderful country (which you have, and it is), and that you want to explore parts of it, or get to know Asuncion, or whatever else is true AND perfectly acceptable on a tourist visa.
You do not need to lie (and should not lie), but you do need to stick to the actual questions being asked, which at this point in time, are questions to you as a tourist, on a tourist visa. So for example, if you are asked the question "will you be working in Paraguay", remember that the question is essentially "will you be working in Paraguay on a tourist visa", to which the answer is obviously "no". And so on. Until you have started your residency process, your visa duration is limited, and until your residency process is complete, you are not allowed to work here.
It is perfectly fine to talk about your plans to apply for residency here - whether that is in an Embassy or Consulate when applying for a visa, or when you arrive - if the person you are talking to speaks the same language as you, fluently, and can understand the nuance of what you are saying.
Ultimately, for most people, they enter as a tourist, and enjoy their time as a tourist whilst waiting for the residency process to complete anyway - so keep it simple, and remember that when you enter the country, you are a tourist. Answer any immigration questions accordingly.